Government letting Weaver Vale down on trains promise

2nd August, 2019

I’ve written to the new Transport Secretary Grant Shapps after plans to introduce two trains an hour for Northwich passengers were again put on hold.
Northern Rail’s pledge to introduce the service had been a key factor in it securing the Mid Cheshire Line Franchise in 2015.

The service had been due to start in May last year but a string of delays followed.

Now the company says the proposals are again delayed, blaming congestion on the railway network in Manchester.

The only thing reliable about Northern Rail is its capacity for failure and there’s been a long list of issues that have made my constituents’ lives a misery in recent years when it comes to local rail services, whether it’s timetabling chaos, the constant delays to this much-needed new service, or schoolchildren being left stranded at Greenbank Station due to a lack of carriages.

People are simply not getting the service they deserve yet they are still being asked to pay ever-increasing amounts of money for that service.
The government must take its share of the blame here, it has previously delayed crucial upgrades to Manchester Piccadilly and has generally shown a complete lack of oversight and leadership.